20. Visitors should be prepared for a range of temperatures.
The Albuquerque Balloon Festival
Every autumn, the sky above the desert city of Albuquerque in the
south-western United States turns into a mass of bright colours. This is the
Albuquerque Balloon Festival, an annual nine-day event.
The first festival was held in 1972 to celebrate the 50th birthday of the
local radio station. There were about a dozen hot-air balloons and they took
off from the car park in the middle of Albuquerque. From these small
beginnings, the festival has grown steadily. This year at least a thousand
balloons from over one third of the countries of the world are expected at its
current out-of-town site.
What to see
The pilots are in radio contact with each other and all light up the
burners of their balloon: the same time. These are known as 'balloon glows'
and are an opportunity to take fantastic photographs. However, you must
arrive just after night has fallen or before 5.30 am. to see these 'glows' as the
balloons rise into the dark sky.
During the day, you can walk around among the balloons and chat to
the pilots as they prepare for take-off. The balloons come in all sizes and
colours some in the shapes of animals or cartoon characters - and, of course,
well-known products such as varieties of soft drinks and fast food. Kids will
love it.
In the afternoon, why not take to the sky yourself by arranging a balloon
flight over the desert with one of the many companies offering balloon rides?.
Another possibility is to take the cable car from the desert floor to the top of
the nearby mountains, the longest such ride anywhere, and enjoy a bird's-eye
view of the festival. There are plenty of other attractions for visitors of all ages,
including balloon races and firework displays on the opening evening and the
last three evenings of the festival.
The Albuquerque Box
This is a local wind pattern that creates perfect conditions for
balloonists. The Sandia Mountains protect the balloons from strong winds, and
at the same time create gentler currents of wind at different heights. This
means that by rising or descending, skilful pilot: can control the direction of
their balloons.
Practical advice
Buy your tickets in advance (they are available online) and save
yourself a long wait to get into the festival site. Wear several layers of thin
clothing. At night and in the early morning can be quite cool, but during the
day sunglasses and sun cream are essential. Bring a flashlight for night-time
events and, of course, bring your camera. If you’re not a digital photographer,
you’ll need high-speed film for evening and night-time pictures.
Part 4 Questions 21-25
Read the text and questions below.
For each question, mark the correct letter A, B, C or D on your answer
sheet.
The Young Achiever of the Year
Kal Kaur Rai has always been interested in fashion and has just won
the title of Young Achiever of the Year at the Asian Business Awards. Ever
since she was a child, she has drawn clothes and designed patterns. She
never told her hard-working parents, who own a supermarket that she wanted
to turn her hobby into a career. She thought they expected her to go into a
more established business, so she went to university to do a management
degree.
After university, she moved to London and worked in an advertising
agency. She had to attend industry events but couldn't afford the designer
clothes she liked. She started making skirts and tops for herself. When her
friends saw her clothes, they asked her to make things for them. She then
found a small shop in London willing to take her designs on a sale-or-return
basis. They were very popular and nothing came back. This encouraged her
to leave her advertising job, take out an f.20,000 loans and begin her own
women swear label.
Kal’s parents were not angry about her career change and said they
would support her, which really pleased her. Her clothes are now on sale in
over 70 stores and her business has an income of over f.500,000. Her clothes
appear in fashion magazines, she designs for pop stars and she has just
gained public recognition by winning this award. Her business has come a
long way and she knows she is extremely lucky. 'What I do is my hobby - and I
get paid for it? But remember, I've worked hard for this.
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